Finance Minister Colin Hansen has cut the Ministry of Environment budget by almost five percent to $239 million, whereas he has  increased spending on postsecondary education by 7.2 percent to $1.92 billion.

Today's (February 17) provincial budget shows a wide variation in expenditure increases and decreases as the B.C. Liberals prepare for a provincial election on May 12.

The office of the premier's budget dropped from $14 million to $12 million, whereas the attorney general's ministry got an increase of $10 million to $556 million.

One of the biggest winners was the Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, which received a 26.9 percent increase. Its budget rose from $67 million last year to $85 million in the coming fiscal year.

The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General budget went up by 3.7 percent to $647 million. The Ministry of Community Development, on the other hand, was hit with a 17.2 percent budget cut. It will have $197 million this year.

Labour and Citizens' Services also got hammered. Its budget fell 23.5 percent to $78 million. Children and Family Development went up by one percent to $1.403 billion.

The Ministry of Health Services got a 5.7 percent increase to $14.1 billion. The Ministry of Education budget rose 1.25 percent to $5.18 billion.